scholarly journals Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Monitoring in the Lazio Region (Central Italy)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Romiti ◽  
Arianna Ermenegildi ◽  
Adele Magliano ◽  
Pasquale Rombolà ◽  
Donatella Varrenti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Lazio Region ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Human Footprint ◽  
Spatial Features ◽  
Asian Tiger ◽  
Accumulated Temperature ◽  
Egg Abundance

Abstract The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse 1894) is assuming an ever-increasing importance as invasive species in Europe and consequently as human health and nuisance concern. In Central Italy, the species has been recently involved in a chikungunya outbreak. A 3 yr Ae. albopictus monitoring was carried out in 21 municipalities of the Lazio region (Central Italy), belonging to three provinces. Samplings were performed on a weekly basis using ovitraps, in order to investigate climatic and spatial variables driving egg abundance and Ae. albopictus period of activity. A temperature of 10.4°C was indicated as lower threshold for the onset of egg-laying activity, together with a photoperiod of 13:11 (L:D) h. The whole oviposition activity lasted 8 mo (May–December), with 95% of eggs laid between early June and mid-November and a peak at the end of August. Egg abundance was positively influenced by accumulated temperature (AT) of the 4 wk preceding sampling and negatively by precipitation during the week before. Egg-laying activity dropped with decreasing AT, increasing rainfall, and with a photoperiod below 10:14 (L:D) h. Our results pinpointed the importance of fine-scaled spatial features on egg abundance. Some of these fine-scaled characteristics have been highlighted, such as the presence of vegetation and human footprint index. Our model estimated an almost doubled maximum number of laid eggs for the maximum value of human footprint. Compelling evidence of the relevance of fine-scaled characteristics was reported, describing cases where human-made breeding sites driven the abundance of Ae. albopictus.

scholarly journals Short communication: New report of Aedes albopictus in Souk Ahras, Northeast Algeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaouther Hamaidia ◽  
Noreddine Soltani
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Short Communication ◽  
Asian Tiger Mosquito ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Asian Tiger ◽  
Mosquito Breeding ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
The City ◽  
Residential Garden

Abstract. Hamaidia K, Soltani N. 2021. Short communication: New report of Aedes albopictus in Souk Ahras, Northeast Algeria. Biodiversitas 22: 2901-2906. The present paper reports the occurrence of Aedes albopictus (Skuse), an aggressive Asian tiger mosquito in the city of Souk-Ahras (Northeast of Algeria). A “26 April” estate’ inhabitants (Souk-Ahras province) have reported unusual daytime bites by a striped mosquito. On early September 2020, an intensive field inspection was carried out for potential mosquito breeding sites in the locations around the city. A total of 105 specimens (8 larvae, 24 pupae and 73 adults) of Ae. albopictus were collected in a pile of old tyres in a residential garden. After previous records of this species in Algeria, this is the first evidence of its presence in Souk-Ahras province, and the findings enhance combined public participation with professional validation in surveillance of vector borne-diseases programs with emphasis on the need for sensitising citizens about controlling this important vector.

scholarly journals Model-Like Implementation of Integrated Control Strategies Targeting Aedes Albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) In Southwest Germany With Special Consideration of the Sterile Insect Technique

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Becker ◽  
Sophie Langentepe-Kong ◽  
Artin Tokatlian ◽  
Thin Thin Oo ◽  
Dirk Reichle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Control Strategy ◽  
Sterile Insect Technique ◽  
Integrated Control ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Asian Tiger Mosquito ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
South West ◽  
Asian Tiger ◽  
The Mean

Abstract BackgroundIn recent years the invasive species Aedes albopictus, known as the Asian tiger mosquito, has undergone an extreme expansion by steady introductions as blind passengers in vehicles from the Mediterranean to South-West Germany. Nowadays, more than 15 established populations are known in the State of Baden-Württemberg and Palatine (South-West Germany) which locally constitute a significant nuisance and public health threat. Therefore, the species deserves special attention as vector of several arboviruses like dengue, Chikungunya or Zika virus. As a consequence, immediate surveillance and control activities against Aedes albopictus have been implemented in the infested areas under the auspice of health departments and regulatory offices. MethodsThe control strategy comprises 3 columns: a) community participation (CP) based on detailed information for the elimination and sanitation of breeding sites as well as the use of fizzy Bti-tablets containing the pro-toxins of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti); b) Door-to-Door (DtD) activities by trained staff including the application of Bti (Vectobac WG) at high dosages to achieve a sustained killing effect of the mosquito larvae; and c) the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) to almost wipe out or eliminate the remaining Aedes albopictus population after intensive Bti-applications. In the laboratory and in semi-field tests, the different elements of the control strategy are evaluated and the efficacy of the integrated control strategy is assessed in routine treatments in the cities of Ludwigshafen (Palatine) and Freiburg (Baden-Württemberg) with special emphasis on the release of sterile Aedes/males. ResultsFollowing our information campaigns, more than 60% of the residents were practicing CP focusing on environmental sanitation and the use of fizzy Bti tablets. Although CP is an essential element of the integrated control strategy, it was shown that the strongest asset in our programme was the DtD activity and the application of a water suspension of Vectobac WG (2700 ITU/mg) to all potential breeding sites at dosages of 10g/rainwater container and 2.5g/smaller container which provided an effect for more than a month. The mean time for the inspection and treatment of a property was 27 minutes. As a result of the larval source management, the container index for Aedes albopictus achieved no more than 0.5% in Ludwigshafen. The mean number of Aedes eggs/ovitrap in Ludwigshafen was 4,3 and in Freiburg -Metzgergrün (SIT area) 18.23 and Freiburg-Gartenstadt-Freiburg (Control area) 22,4 eggs/trap. After the strong reduction of the Aedes population by Bti-application, the weekly release of 1013 (Ludwigshafen) and 2320 (Freiburg) sterile Aedes albopictus males/ha from May until October resulted in an overall sterility by egg counts 82.61% ( (Ø60.52±42.88%) in Ludwigshafen and 62.68±28.21% in Freiburg compared to a natural sterility of 16.93±13.5% in the SIT untreated area. The field results are proven by the data achieved in cage tests in the laboratory. The mating of wild females with sterile males showed sterility rates of 87.53±9.15% whereas the sterility of eggs laid by females mated with unirradiated males was only 3.3±2.8%. The most effective ratio of wild to sterile males is 1:5. The overall sterility of about 83% in Ludwigshafen indicates that our goal to almost eradicate the Aedes albopictus population could be achieved. The hydrogen-peroxide bleaching technique allowed a quick assessment of embryogenesis. ConclusionsIn this study, we clearly prove that an integrated control program based on a strict monitoring scheme is most effective when it comprises three columns, namely a) community participation, b) DtD activities including long-lasting Bti-larviciding of all possible breeding sites to strongly reduce the wild Aedes albopictus population as a basis for the successful application of SIT, and c) SIT to almost wipe out the Aedes albopictus population. The combination of Bti and SIT guarantees that two of the most selective, save and effective tools are employed against one of the most dangerous mosquito vector species Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito.

scholarly journals Monitoring of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera, Culicidae) in the city of Catania (Italy): seasonal dynamics and habitat preferences

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Bella ◽  
A. Russo ◽  
P. Suma
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Seasonal Dynamics ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Seasonal Abundance ◽  
Asian Tiger Mosquito ◽  
Asian Tiger ◽  
Density Analysis ◽  
The City

Estimated seasonal abundance of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894) (Diptera, Culicidae) in the municipality of Catania (eastern Sicily, Italy) is provided and discussed. A monitoring campaign was carried out in urban and suburban sectors of the city during the autumn of 2007 and all of 2008 and 2013. Populations of the mosquito were surveyed weekly with standard ovitraps as a tool for estimating its population density. Analysis of the distributional data, seasonal occurrence, habitat preferences, and egg-laying intensity of the mosquito is provided.

scholarly journals A Linkage-Based Genome Assembly for the Mosquito Aedes albopictus and Identification of Chromosomal Regions Affecting Diapause

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 167
Author(s):  
John H. Boyle ◽  
Pasi M. A. Rastas ◽  
Xin Huang ◽  
Austin G. Garner ◽  
Indra Vythilingam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Linkage Map ◽  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Genome Assembly ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Candidate Snps ◽  
Single Location ◽  
Asian Tiger ◽  
Photoperiodic Diapause

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is an invasive vector mosquito of substantial public health concern. The large genome size (~1.19–1.28 Gb by cytofluorometric estimates), comprised of ~68% repetitive DNA sequences, has made it difficult to produce a high-quality genome assembly for this species. We constructed a high-density linkage map for Ae. albopictus based on 111,328 informative SNPs obtained by RNAseq. We then performed a linkage-map anchored reassembly of AalbF2, the genome assembly produced by Palatini et al. (2020). Our reassembled genome sequence, AalbF3, represents several improvements relative to AalbF2. First, the size of the AalbF3 assembly is 1.45 Gb, almost half the size of AalbF2. Furthermore, relative to AalbF2, AalbF3 contains a higher proportion of complete and single-copy BUSCO genes (84.3%) and a higher proportion of aligned RNAseq reads that map concordantly to a single location of the genome (46%). We demonstrate the utility of AalbF3 by using it as a reference for a bulk-segregant-based comparative genomics analysis that identifies chromosomal regions with clusters of candidate SNPs putatively associated with photoperiodic diapause, a crucial ecological adaptation underpinning the rapid range expansion and climatic adaptation of A. albopictus.

scholarly journals Patients who leave Emergency Department without being seen or during treatment in the Lazio Region (Central Italy): Determinants and short term outcomes

PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. e0208914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Mataloni ◽  
Paola Colais ◽  
Claudia Galassi ◽  
Marina Davoli ◽  
Danilo Fusco
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Lazio Region

scholarly journals Wolbachia strain wAu efficiently blocks arbovirus transmission in Aedes albopictus

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Vittoria Mancini ◽  
Christie S. Herd ◽  
Thomas H. Ant ◽  
Shivan M. Murdochy ◽  
Steven P. Sinkins
Keyword(s):  
Aedes Aegypti ◽  
Aedes Albopictus ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Asian Tiger Mosquito ◽  
Native Strain ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Asian Tiger ◽  
Tiger Mosquito

AbstractThe global incidence of arboviral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, including dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika, has increased dramatically in recent decades. The release of Aedes aegypti carrying the maternally inherited symbiont Wolbachia as an intervention to control arboviruses is being trialled in several countries. However, these efforts are compromised in many endemic regions due to the co-localization of the secondary vector Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito. Ae. albopictus has an expanding global distribution following incursions into a number of new territories. To date, only the wMel and wPip strains of Wolbachia have been reported to be transferred into and characterized in this vector. A Wolbachia strain naturally infecting Drosophila simulans, wAu, was selected for transfer into a Malaysian Ae. albopictus line to create a novel triple-strain infection. The newly generated line showed self-compatibility, moderate fitness cost and complete resistance to Zika and dengue infections.Author summaryAedes albopictus, the invasive Asian tiger mosquito, is responsible for numerous outbreaks of important viruses such as dengue and Zika in various regions of the world. The need for alterative control interventions propelled the development of a novel approach that exploits a natural insect symbiont, Wolbachia; when transferred into non-native hosts, these maternally-inherited bacteria are able to interfere with the transmission of mosquito-borne viruses, and also provide reproductive advantages to the host, offering a promising tool for self-sustaining field applications. Currently, several field trials are ongoing for the primary vector of dengue and several other arboviruses, Aedes aegypti, providing encouraging results. In this study, Ae. albopictus has been targeted for a similar approach: this mosquito species naturally carries two strains of Wolbachia. The artificial introduction of a third, non-native strain made this line less able to transmit dengue and Zika viruses and had an impact on its fitness.

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